Taiwan News Quick Take

Agencies

Tue, Jul 16, 2013 - Page 5

EARTHQUAKE

Taitung County jolted

Two moderate earthquakes jolted Taitung County early yesterday, but there were no reports of casualties or damage, the Central Weather Bureau said. The first magnitude 4.5 quake hit at 3:24am, the Seismology Center said. The quake’s epicenter was 34km northwest of the Taitung County government building in Haituan Township (海端) at a depth of 3.4km, it said. The quake was felt the strongest in Lidao Township (利稻) in Taitung and Taoyuan Township in Greater Kaohsiung. Then at 6:01am, a magnitude 3.5 quake shook Taitung County again. The epicenter was 35.5km northwest of the Taitung County government building at a depth of 5.5 km. The center said the second quake was an aftershock and caused only mild tremors in Taitung’s Chulu Township (初鹿), Greater Kaohsiung’s Taoyuan and Pingtung County’s Sandimen (三地門).

NATIONAL DEFENSE

New aircraft arrival

The military said on Sunday that it would take delivery of four marine patrol aircraft purchased from the US by the end of this year, which will bolster its anti-submarine capabilities. The four P-3Cs are the first of 12 to be delivered by the end of 2015. The 12 aircraft and associated equipment and services, worth US$1.96 billion, are part of an arms deal valued at US$2.23 billion announced by the US in 2007. A new facility has been built in Pingtung County for repair and maintenance of the P-3Cs. The current 26 S-2T marine patrol aircraft, which were purchased in 1986, can stay operational for four hours, compared with the P-3C’s 12 hours. The P-3C has a range of 2,800 nautical miles (5,185km) compared with the S-2T’s 450 nautical miles.